


Awakening in my Nightmares

by Heresetrash



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Bodyswap, Eventual Smut, Kylux Titleception, M/M, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rivals to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-16 16:08:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18097664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heresetrash/pseuds/Heresetrash
Summary: Hux and Kylo swap bodies and are forced to commit to a temporary truce in order to figure out a solution. What starts out as a nightmare might turn out a lot more pleasant in the end.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to Kylux Titleception 2019.
> 
> I want to give a massive shout-out to [shinysylver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinysylver), who helped me out so much with this project. I struggled to come up with ideas and making them work, but she so patiently helped me brainstorm and cheered me on while I was working on it. I’m eternally grateful <3

A sudden commotion behind him on the bridge made Hux whip around with a displeased look on his face. Entering at a run, were two stormtroopers. They came to attention in front of him, clutching their blaster rifles in their hands. Both of them were breathing heavily through their helmets.

“What is going on?” Hux asked them sharply. There was a strict no running policy on the bridge unless there was an emergency.

“General, sir!” the shorter of the two stormtroopers spoke up. “It’s Supreme Leader Ren.”

Hux was only barely able to hold back an eye-roll. Of course, it was Ren. It was nearing noon and just about time for him to throw one of his tantrums, after all. Hux had thought he would calm down a little in his new role, now that he no longer had to answer to Snoke and was in complete control. But he hadn’t. He was just as unstable as before, obsessing over his personal mission and using Hux and the First Order at his whim.

“What is it this time?” he sighed in exasperation.

“He's not himself, sir. He’s screaming and being violent. We tried to help him but when we did, he attacked us.”

To Hux, that sounded like the normal Ren. Neither screaming nor attacking stormtroopers were out of the ordinary for him. But that didn’t mean it was acceptable behaviour. It seemed Hux would have to snap him out of it - again.

“Very well, take me to him,” he finally agreed, letting his hands fall from their usual place at the small of his back to his sides. “Peavey, you’re in charge.”

Hux followed the two stormtroopers from the bridge through the corridors. He was surprised when they led him in the direction of the throne room. Ren didn’t use it all that often - he didn’t perch on his throne the way Snoke had. More often, he was in his own quarters or in the training facilities, if he wasn’t off somewhere doing whatever it was he saw fit to do.

When he stepped through the massive doors of the previous blood red - now black - throne room, Hux quickly realised that his men had been correct: Ren wasn't himself. He was indeed screaming, but this was not one of his normal raging fits. The large man was collapsed on his knees on the black tiled floor. His face was contorted in pain - eyes screwed shut and mouth open in a roar - and he was grasping at his head with both hands.

“You, go get a medic,” Hux commanded the stormtrooper who so far had stayed silent. He immediately disappeared out of the room. To the other, he said, “You, stay here but keep your distance.”

Then he moved closer to Ren - slowly as if he was approaching a feral animal that could attack him at any moment if he wasn't careful.

“Ren,” he spoke wearily.

The only answer he got from Ren was a loud _hnnngh!_ as he digged his fingers deeper into his scalp.

Hux kept moving closer and when it became clear that Ren wouldn't lash out at him (Hux thought perhaps he wasn't able to at this point), he squatted a few feet away from him.

“Look at me, Ren,” he told him sternly, hoping that his coldness would annoy him enough to take notice of him. But Ren didn't comply, only kept howling in clear agony.

“Ren!” Hux called then, and as he did, he slapped him across the face with the flat of his gloved hand as hard as he could.

That did the trick. Ren quieted mid-scream and opened his eyes to look at Hux. They were bloodshot and wet, pupils blown so large that Hux for a moment thought he must have been poisoned.

Ren reached out for him, a heavy arm trying to grab Hux by the collar of his uniform before he was gone again, once more screaming and falling to the floor.

That’s when Hux felt it too - a sudden, piercing pain expanding quickly inside his own head. It was so violent and intrusive Hux was certain his skull was about to split open. He had never felt pain so excruciating before and all he could think as his vision whitened was that he was surely dying because no one was built to survive such a thing.

It felt like it lasted forever but it was only seconds before darkness overtook him and he collapsed to the floor.

 

* * *

 

When Hux woke up next, it was to a room so bright it stung his eyes. He immediately shut them again, wincing. Then he took a few sharp breaths before opening his eyes once more - slower this time. He blinked but gradually he got used to the burning brightness, and the room he was in came into focus. Everything was white and sterile and quiet. The only sounds heard were that of machines beeping softly close by. He was in the medbay.

Still sluggish from having just broken out of unconsciousness, Hux turned his head slowly and found a monitor displaying his heart rate. A wire was running from it to his hand, where a small clamping device was attached to his index finger. He could tell that his heart rate was stable. Good. That meant that whatever had happened, likely hadn’t had any lingering effects despite the gruelling pain. But he was tired and his body felt strange, sort of heavy and unnatural.

The door to the room then hissed open and closed, and a nurse in a white uniform, carrying a datapad, appeared.

“Supreme Leader, you’re awake,” the nurse, a short man with dark blond hair and a sympathetic face, said when he saw him. “Hold on, I’ll get the medic for you.”

“Wait, what?” uttered Hux in confusion, his voice gravelly and unrecognisable, but the nurse was already gone. Had he just called him Supreme Leader?

A moment later, the nurse reappeared, this time together with a medic with dark, almost black hair pulled into a strict knot at the back of her head.

“Ah, Supreme Leader,” she greeted him, “I’m glad to see you’re finally awake. You've been out for a couple of hours. How are you feeling?”

Hux looked at her as if she was insane. Had everyone in the medbay completely lost their minds?

“Is this some sort of joke? Why do you keep referring to me as Supreme Leader?” he growled. Once again, he thought his voice sounded strange. It was too deep.

“I apologise, sir, I thought you wanted us to use your title. Would you rather we call you something else?” the medic asked, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly at him.

“I would like for you to stop this nonsense immediately and call me General Hux!”

The medic blinked. She turned her head and looked at the nurse, who licked his lips nervously. Hux scowled at them. There was something very strange going on here.

“I demand that you tell me what’s going on,” he ordered them.

“Sir,” the medic said, carefully taking a step closer to his bed. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Yes,” replied Hux confidently. “I remember that Ren and I both fell ill from some sort of sudden head trauma.”

The medic nodded in confirmation. “Correct, but it seems that the events have left you confused. You seem to be under the impression that you are the general, when in fact you are Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.”

Hux didn’t understand the words that were coming out of the medic’s mouth. They made no sense. Yes, something had happened to his head but it hadn’t left him so far gone that he didn’t know who he was. He was Armitage Hux, general of the First Order. He opened his mouth to protest but the medic broke him off.

“The general is in the bed next to you. He hasn’t woken up yet.”

At that, she nodded to the nurse, who pulled the curtain around Hux’s bed to the side so that the sickbed next to him came into view. Lying there unconscious, under pristinely white sheets, with his hands folded on top of a knit blanket, was his own body.

Hux’s jaw went slack as he stared at the man in the bed next to him. There was no doubt that it was him. He recognised every hair on his head and every line on his face. He lifted his hands and realised that they weren't his own. His were long and slim with bony fingers; these were wide and calloused with bruised knuckles.

“Give me a mirror,” he breathed heavily through his nose.

The medic nodded to the nurse again, who quickly disappeared into the adjoining fresher and returned with a handheld mirror. He gave it to Hux, who snapped it out of his hands.

Hux’s brain was already trying to warn him of what he would see and carefully reminding him not to flip out when he did. Slowly, he brought the mirror up to his face and when he saw his own reflection, he was glad that he had worked as hard as he had at his poker face, or he would have screamed and thrown the mirror across the room. Staring back at him was an angry, dark brow and brown eyes set in a pale face scattered with moles. Running across the right eye and cheek, disappearing into the neckline of a pleated black tunic, was Ren's all too familiar scar.

Hux kept looking at his reflection. This couldn’t be happening. It had to be a dream - a horrific nightmare! Perhaps he was still unconscious and hadn't woken up yet. Somewhat desperately, he pinched the inside of his arm with the hand that didn't belong to him, but nothing happened and he realised that he, unfortunately, was very much awake and that this was reality.

He wracked his brain for answers. His intellect was, after all, his most prized asset and he trusted it to always help him find a solution to any problem. In this case, he didn’t know what had happened or how, but he understood that he and Ren somehow must have swapped bodies. The trouble was that he had no idea how to solve the issue. More likely, it was some Force nonsense, and for that, he needed Ren.

Taking a deep breath, he sat up. The medic and the nurse were standing at the end of the sickbed, looking at him with disturbingly worried expressions. Hux didn't need for them to think he was crazy. He needed to make them believe that he had just been temporarily disoriented.

“You're right,” he tried to convince them in that dark voice he now recognised as Ren's. “I was clearly confused after having just woken up.”

The medic and the nurse shared another look before the doctor gave him a strained smile and said, “That's not uncommon. Still, we need to keep you here for observation a little longer. And, considering, we should do brain scans, just to make sure there are no neurological issues.”

That was not a good idea. Brain scans might not show anything at all or they might show everything. Hux didn't know but he couldn't take that chance. “No,” he snarled in his best Ren impression, almost unsettled by how angry he sounded.

“I greatly advise you to take the scans, Supreme Leader,” the medic pushed. “If anything is wrong with your brain, it needs to be treated.”

“I said, _no_ ,” Hux repeated, louder this time and the medic and nurse immediately took a step back. “Now, leave,” he ordered them.

The two medbay workers quickly nodded before they escaped the room, leaving Hux alone. With the exception of his own body, that was, which Ren's mind had to be trapped in. He grimaced at the thought. Ren being inside his body was not something he was comfortable with. He had already intruded on him in every way he possibly could with his Force tricks, assaulting him both physically and psychologically. This was really just the next step and if Hux found that he in any way had tried or intended for this to happen, this would be the final straw that made him actually kill Ren. After they swapped back, of course. Hux had no intention of staying in Ren's body.

A moment later, he had a thought. Since he was in Ren's body, did that mean that he had his powers as well? He only theoretically knew how the Force worked and he would never admit to not understanding it. Perhaps this was his chance to finally figure it out first hand.

What was it that Ren usually did when he used it? Concentrating, he held his hand out in front of him, trying to do something as simple as moving the curtains by his bed. He willed his thoughts into becoming action, but despite gritting his teeth and pushing himself as hard as he could, there was nothing. The curtains didn't move and he didn't feel any sort of power flowing through him. He dropped back against the pillows in the bed again and huffed. Clearly, the Force didn't follow the body but the mind. He supposed he already knew this but that didn't mean that he wasn't disappointed.

If he had gotten Ren's powers in addition to his body, this swap might have been worth it. But as it was now, all he was stuck with was Ren’s stupidly big and heavy frame, and although he felt stronger than he ever had, he didn’t feel as agile or light-footed. Both were traits he highly appreciated as they were exceptional for sneaking around. But Ren didn’t sneak. Even if he could, Hux was fairly certain he didn’t want to. It wasn’t his style, was it? No, Ren’s style was bursting in loudly and noisily and making the biggest mess possible.

 

* * *

 

Hux was ready (at least as ready as he could be in the current situation) when Ren finally woke up a few hours later. The man groaned before his eyes fluttered open, and Hux watched him as he, too, seemed to struggle with the intense fluorescent lighting in the room. It was beyond bizarre to see his own body from the outside like this, inhabited and controlled by somebody else.

Patiently, he let Ren have his time to come to. Only when his breath had stabilised and the rapid blinking had ceased, did Hux speak to him. “Welcome back.”

Ren turned his head toward him at the sound of his voice and when he saw his own body sitting there, he startled to such an extent he almost fell out of the bed.

“To quickly clarify: yes, you're seeing correctly, and no, this is not a gruesome nightmare,” Hux told him calmly. Then he added, “Unfortunately.”

Clutching the bedsheets with one hand and holding the other defensively out in front of him, Ren stared at him wide-eyed - pupils dilated - for a long time. When he finally found the use of his voice, he spoke with more uncertainty than Hux was sure he wanted to show: “Who are you? What is this?”

Dropping his voice low, Hux explained: “I’m General Hux. I’m in your body and you are in mine. As for the second question, that was something I hoped you could answer. You're the Force user, after all. At least, I hope you still are, because your powers are not in here.” He pressed a finger to his now broad chest.

Ren didn't say anything. Instead, he ripped the heart rate monitor off his finger and rose from the bed. He made his way to the fresher, where Hux seconds later heard something smash. He immediately got out of bed too and followed Ren into the fresher where he found him glowering at his new face in a cracked mirror.

“Do _not_ damage my body, Ren,” Hux warned him.

Whipping around, Ren snarled back: “I didn’t damage your body. I used the Force.”

Hux arched an eyebrow at him. “Well, it’s at least good to have that confirmed.”

“You seem like you are enjoying this,” Ren accused him as his nostrils flared.

“Not particularly,” replied Hux with a lazy tone of voice. “I have simply had a few more hours to adjust and come to terms with it. In fact, I have a few questions, starting with whether you did this on purpose?”

Ren’s eyes narrowed at that and he bared his teeth in a very unattractive manner. Hux took a mental note of never doing that when he got his body back.

“Are you insane? Why would I do this on purpose? Why would I want to be in your body? Why would I want you to be in mine? The way I see it, you're the one who came out on top here!”

Hux shrugged and smirked. “You’re not wrong. Everyone thinks I’m the Supreme Leader now.”

“And isn’t that exactly what you’ve always wanted?” Ren stepped into Hux’s personal space and it was interesting how he managed to still be as intimidating as before despite not being in his own body. “Why would I ever give that to you?”

When Hux realised only a few hours before that he and Ren had in fact swapped bodies, he had been both confused and angry. Ren, however, seemed furious at this clearly unpurposeful exchange.

Deciding to let up on him just a little, Hux asked, “Then what happened?”

Ren pushed past him but the weight of him slamming into Hux wasn't what it had once been. He was the smaller and lighter one now and he didn't manage to make Hux sway even a little. Hux followed him back into their shared room, where Ren sat down on his bed. “It was the scavenger girl,” he muttered with knitted brows and eyes glued to some invisible spot on the wall.

“She did this?”

“Hardly intentionally,” Ren went on. “She found some way to break the bond between us.”

That was not the answer Hux had expected. And while it didn’t offer him any explanation as to why this had happened, he was still curious. “She broke the bond? How?”

Ren finally looked at him and spoke through gritted teeth: “I don’t know how. All I can think is that this,” - he pointed a finger back and forth between them - “is some sort of backlash from that. I remember it feeling like my head was about to burst open.”

Hux nodded slowly. He remembered that too. It had hurt like seven bloody hells at once.

There was silence from Ren for several minutes but Hux could see that he was thinking. Eventually, he said, “It must have somehow pushed my mind out of my body and into yours and vice versa.”

Hux didn't much like this speculation from Ren. He had hoped he would have some clearer answers. “So your precious Force messed up not just you but me as well,” he pointed out sarcastically. “How are you going to fix it?”

“Fix it?” Ren asked incredulously, eyebrows raised.

“Yes, since this is is clearly your fault I expect you to set it straight. Swap us back.”

“I didn’t even know this was possible! How exactly do you expect me to swap us back?”

Hux scoffed. “It seems you aren’t such a master with the Force, after all.”

Standing from the bed again, Ren stepped close to Hux. He sneered, “Why don't _you_ come up with a solution? Since you're so _smart._ ”

The door to the room swished open then and both Hux and Ren whipped around to see the medic from earlier enter the room.

“General, it’s wonderful to see that you have finally woken up too,” the medic smiled.

Hux was just about to answer her but then he caught himself, remembering whose body he was in. Instead, he turned his face to Ren, giving him a look that hopefully reminded him too.

Thankfully, Ren quickly caught on. “Yes, I woke up a little while ago. How long was I out?”

“A few hours,” the medic replied. She moved in on him, gently putting a hand to his arm and pushing him into a seated position on the bed. Then she pulled a pen-sized torch out of her pocket and shone it in Ren’s eyes. Hux observed with a certain interest how she was clearly less afraid of the general than of the Supreme Leader. He rather enjoyed that fact.

“How are you feeling? Any dizziness or nausea?” she asked as she examined him. She cast a quick glance over at Hux and added, “Confusion?”

“No,” Ren replied. Hux could easily pick up on the irritation in his voice. He clearly wasn’t used to being treated this way.

“We would like to do brain scans, just in case,” she went on.

Behind her back, Hux shook his head firmly.

“No,” said Ren. Hux hadn't really expected him to go along with it but it was nice to know that they agreed on this.

“It would be prudent to make certain everything is in order,” the medic tried.

“No,” Ren repeated aggressively for the third time. He pushed at her to get her off him. Then, it was as if he remembered that Hux didn’t talk or act like that and he corrected himself. He tilted his chin upward slightly, meeting her eyes, and Hux realised that was something he actually tended to do. “There is no need for that. I’m fine. We’re both… fine.”

“Very well, I will discharge you,” she sighed in defeat. “But please, if you experience any sort of discomfort related to this, come to the medbay immediately.”

Both Hux and Ren nodded in confirmation. Once she left, Ren turned to him.

“We’re in this together whether we like it or not, general,” he said. “I hate to point out to you that we need each other.”

Hux was painfully aware that this was the case. He huffed, “What exactly do you suggest we do, then?”

“We don't have any other choice but to work together, do we? We have to play the part of each other until we find a solution. And I will find a solution.”

Hux wasn’t overly keen on this plan, but the fact was he didn’t have much choice. He wanted the situation to be fixed, preferably sooner rather than later, and if this was what they had to do to figure it out, he would have to do it.

Ren held his hand out to him and Hux stared at it for a moment - at this peace offering. He never thought he would find himself here; never thought it would be needed. But finally, he accepted, taking his own narrow hand and squeezing it with Ren’s larger.

“Fine, you have your truce,” he agreed.

Smirking, Ren said, “Who knew the general of the First Order could be this forthcoming.”

“Careful, Ren,” scowled Hux, “there is a limit to my diplomacy.”

 

* * *

 

That evening, after the discharge from the medbay, Hux found himself in Ren's private chambers. As much as he would have preferred to go back to his own, he obviously couldn't. Ren didn't seem to care all that much about letting Hux stay in his quarters but Hux didn’t like the thought of Ren in his own. It wasn't that he had anything to hide, but his quarters were the one place he could let his guard down and be completely himself. It was the one place he could sit back and have a drink after a long day's work. He couldn't do that now. However, there wasn't much he could do about it. If they stayed in their own quarters, people would notice and start asking questions, and that was the last thing they needed. No one could know about their situation.

The first thing Hux did was have the sheets on Ren's massive bed changed. He could have called a service droid to do it for him but they never managed to make the bed the way he preferred it, so he did it himself. He noticed that Ren, like him, took advantage of his position and used the more comfortable cotton sheets with the higher thread count that was available to them. At closer inspection, it even looked like Ren's were slightly better than his. Typical.

Despite clearly wanting to be comfortable while sleeping, Ren’s dark and low-lit quarters were otherwise spartan. While Hux had chosen to upgrade and even decorate his chambers somewhat, Ren only had the standard issue furniture. And he didn't own a whole lot of possessions. Hux supposed that fit with his whole dark, mysterious, “kill the past” type of personality he was putting forward.

Before he took to bed, he decided on a shower. There was something undeniably strange about undressing in another man’s body, suddenly being privy to very intimate details about them. He tried to keep it clinical but his attention was caught by all the scars that were spread across Ren's skin. He was very much aware that Ren had been in a lot of fights (it wasn’t that long ago since he had saved him from bleeding to death after the fight with the scavenger girl) but there were an impressive amount of scars.

Hux shook his head hard. Impressive was hardly the right word. Reckless was more like it.


	2. Chapter 2

The alarm was set for 0500 the next morning. Hux hadn't expected to sleep very well that night but, surprisingly, Ren's bed (and perhaps his body) had offered a good night's sleep and he felt well rested when he awoke. 

He suspected that Ren's morning routine was vastly different from his own. First of all, he knew for a fact that Ren didn't rise as early as he did. But Hux had no intention of changing something he had done for years just because he was in another man’s body. Routines were part of what made his busy days manageable and somewhat predictable.

The first thing he did was order his standard cup of caf and boiled mealgrain and have it delivered by a droid. He ate it quickly before he went to the fresher to shave. He observed that Ren's facial hair growth was more aggressive than his own. While he could get away with skipping a day of shaving (not that he ever did), Ren clearly couldn't do that unless he wanted to look like a scruffy bum. Amused, he thought to himself that Ren's silly mask must have been excellent for covering up being lazy. Too bad for Ren that he didn't have it anymore.

The next thing he did was go into the closet. Although Ren's wardrobe hardly could be called adventurous with the endless black tunics and robes, it was still more so than Hux's, who only wore uniforms and didn't own any other clothing. He dressed in what felt like a shroud of black fabrics before exiting the quarters and heading for his own private chambers at 0600.

On his way there, he got a taste of what it was like to be Ren in public. Not many were up and about at this hour but those who were, shied away from him or even turned and hurried in the opposite direction at the sight of him stalking down the corridors. Hux certainly commanded respect and he was used to being met with officers moving out of his way, but this was something completely different. This was fear.

When he arrived at the doors of his quarters, he put his eye to the retina scanner to gain access but was immediately met with a blaring  _ Access denied! _ Of course. That door would only open to his own eye. Instead, he pressed a gloved finger to the annunciator, but there was still no answer. He knocked then - hard - banging his fist against the steel door.

“General!” he yelled. Well, at least he was nothing but in character if anyone saw him right now.

The door eventually slid open and Hux stepped into his own quarters. He found Ren in the bedroom, his hair an absolute mess and wearing his underwear only. Hux frowned disapprovingly at the sight of him.

“Put some clothes on,” he commanded.

Ren raised his eyebrows at him. “It’s not like it’s anything you haven’t seen before, general.”

“That's not the point,” Hux grumbled.

It was strange enough that they had swapped bodies in the first place but seeing himself from the outside like this - with so little clothes even - was very awkward. Hux had always been thin and knew that he was, but he thought he looked even skinnier when he looked at his own body now. And he was so pale, bordering on greying, thanks to life on a ship with little to no natural light. Normally, that didn't bother him much, but this time it made him uncomfortable. Not looking at himself, no, but knowing that Ren could see him like that. He couldn't help but worry about what he thought. Ren was a mountain of muscles and he was…  _ not that. _

“Mitaka will be here in less than an hour and you need to look presentable,” he told Ren. It wasn’t just an excuse. It was the truth as well. Mitaka always arrived at his quarters at 0700 to go through Hux’s daily schedule.

Like the manchild he was, Ren rolled his eyes before disappearing into the fresher, where Hux seconds later heard the shower turn on. In the meantime, he found his uniform and laid it out on the bed for Ren to put on when he finished.

“What did you do to my hair?” Hux almost sneered at Ren when he came out of the fresher twenty minutes later.

“What? This is how you wear it,” Ren shrugged back at him.

“It absolutely is  _ not,” _ Hux protested. He didn't know what exactly Ren had tried to do but his hair looked awful. For one, it wasn't parted in the right place, and second, he had clearly used the wrong product because it wasn't holding up very well. He was honestly offended. But what exactly could he expect from someone who seemed to randomly smear some paste in his hair and then went about his day? He sighed. “Come with me.”

Ren followed him back into the fresher, where Hux made him sit down on the toilet. He found his comb, wet it and combed Ren's hair out. Then he started over.

“It needs to be right or they will notice,” he told him as he used the pointed tip of the comb to part the hair in the correct place. “Now, pay attention so you get it right the next time.”

“I don't understand why you spend all this time on your appearance,” said Ren, looking up at him like a sullen child would.

“You mean unlike yourself, who simply roll out of bed every morning?” Hux put the comb down and took the pomade out of the cupboard. He distributed a fair amount in his hands before spreading it in the familiar red hair. “You seem to forget that you're the one spending hours in the gym every day building your physique.”

Ren snorted. “I train to be ready for war, not to impress anyone.”

Hux gave a short, dry laugh. “Of course.” He finished slicking Ren’s - his own - hair into place.

“I trust you can dress yourself without my help,” he said once they were back in the bedroom.

“I don’t know, can I?” asked Ren, clearly fed up with Hux’s micromanaging already. Hux didn’t care. He wasn’t about to let him get away with looking like a subpar version of himself.

Ren got into the uniform with only minor guidance needed and he was ready when Mitaka was at the door at 0700 sharp. The lieutenant was never late.

Mitaka was a timid young man whose facial expression always tended to be stuck on troubled, but the poor boy looked outright terrified when he spotted the Supreme Leader in his general’s quarters.

“Supreme Leader,” he greeted Hux, swallowing hard and not daring to meet his eyes.

Hux simply nodded back at him. He was in no way going to make Mitaka’s life more difficult. He would likely have more than enough on his hands with Ren now being the general. Hux even felt a little sorry for him.

“Don’t you have somewhere you need to be, Supreme Leader?” Ren asked him pointedly.

To be honest, Hux didn’t know. Ren’s daily schedule was practically a mystery to him. He had no idea what he spent most of his time doing. He mostly seemed to brood.

“Training perhaps, in the training facilities?” Ren helpfully added with an exasperated tone of voice.

“Oh yes, that sounds like something I do, doesn't it,” Hux replied and Ren rolled his eyes at him.

Mitaka watched their exchange with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, his eyes darting between them. This wasn’t the way they normally talked to each other. Their conversations (if they could be called such) were usually short, hostile and snappy.

“I’ll see you later, general,” Hux said before he strode out of the quarters, leaving Ren and Mitaka behind. He dearly hoped that Ren wouldn’t mess up too much.

 

* * *

 

Hux found himself in the training facilities not much later where he figured he might as well actually work out. Changing into something more suitable, he first went for a run on one of the treadmills, then did a series of pull-ups, situps and squats. It was strange, really, to be in a body that was so physically superior. Hux wasn’t strong. Never had been. Not that he was a weakling by any means, but his forte lay in endurance, not strength. Being in Ren’s body and so effortlessly pull off all these exercises, were quite freeing.

When he had finished working out and had a shower, he went to the throne room. It was certainly different being in the massive, black room as Ren. This place belonged to him now. He was the Supreme Leader and he had complete authority over the First Order. He could do anything he wanted.  _ Anything. _

Slowly, he made his way over the short bridge to the oversized throne at the end of the room, his feet echoing softly as he walked. The look of the throne room certainly reflected Ren’s style: all black and practically barren. Just like his quarters, it showed very little personality. But Hux suspected that Ren’s need to show off how he was so free and detached from everything, was just another way of protesting too much.

Hux let Ren’s cloak fold out behind him before he eased down into the seat of the throne. Oh, all the times he had fantasised about sitting in this very spot. What would happen, he wondered, if he and Ren didn’t manage to find a way to swap back? He would be the Supreme Leader forever. The thought should entice him, really, but alone in the empty room - in Ren’s body - he wasn't so sure.

The throne wasn’t particularly comfortable but Hux knew that anyone sitting on it was a magnificent sight to behold. Even Ren looked royal the times he actually used it. Despite clearly not being comfortable with that side of the job, Ren undeniably looked the part. No doubt that came from his noble bloodline. Yes, Ren could be exceptional. He  _ was _ exceptional. But he made it very difficult to look past his morose and aggressive exterior and notice that.

Hux had noticed. Not that he would ever admit to it, but he had.

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take more than three days before Ren was at Hux’s door, demanding to be let into his quarters. The clock had just passed 2200 and Hux would normally retire to his private chambers for the evening. There, he would spend the hours until midnight replying to the last messages that had come through, while having a drink before going to bed.

Ren marched into the quarters and promptly sank down on the black sofa, where he carelessly tossed Hux’s datapad on the table and proceeded to first rip open the collar of his uniform jacket and then his shirt.

“Good evening to you too,” Hux greeted him with a mock smile. “Would you mind not ruining my uniform?”

Ren glared at him. “How do you deal with all these kriffing people nagging at you all the time? There is an endless amount of requests! I was  _ this close,” _ \- he held his thumb and index finger up to Hux, with minimal spacing in between them - “to throwing myself out of an airlock earlier today.”

Hux raised his eyebrows at him. He sat down in one of the lounge chairs across from the sofa and he couldn’t help but smile a little smugly when he said, “You’ve been doing my job for three days and you’re already crumbling.”

“I’m not a droid,” Ren sneered.

“Neither am I, but you don’t see me complaining,” Hux pointed out, still smiling.

“No, but you don’t sleep, do you?”

“I sleep.”

Ren snorted. “Five hours tops every night, right? You’re going to die from high blood pressure by the time you hit 40.”

Hux knew that his sleeping schedule wasn’t the healthiest, but at this point, he had gotten used to it. “And you’ll pass from a heart attack due to rage by the same age. I’ll see you in Hell.”

Surprisingly, Ren actually laughed at that. It was weird enough in itself, but the fact that he did it as Hux, who rarely laughed himself, was so very strange. It was like watching a clone of himself who hadn’t quite nailed his personality.

Leaning forward, Hux pushed the datapad that Ren had tossed on the table towards him. “Unlock it,” he told him.

Ren complied and pressed his thumb against the fingerprint sensor. Hux relaxed back in the chair, crossed his right leg over the left and went into his messages. There were way too many there that hadn’t been replied to. Ren must have ignored them completely. Thankfully, Hux knew which ones needed prioritizing, which ones could be deleted straight away, and which ones simply needed approval or denial. He quickly deleted the useless ones, then he colour coded the rest: red for priority, green for approval and yellow for denial.

He explained the system to Ren. “Do the approval and denial of requests first. We can do the others after.”

Ren’s pale green eyes lingered on him a little longer than usual before turning to the screen, where he started working his way through the messages. Hux could have gone through all the requests in an hour, maybe less. Ren, however, spent almost twice that amount of time. Hux couldn’t get impatient when he was actually doing the work though. In fact, he was rather enjoying that Ren had come to him for help. And it wasn’t just because it was satisfying to see him squirm a little. It was nice to have something familiar to do.

It was past 0100 when they finally finished replying to all the messages. By that time, Ren had shrugged out of his uniform jacket and opened another two buttons of his shirt. And the copper hair had long since lost its hold after he had run his hand through it numerous times.

“That was the last of them,” said Ren, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. “I better get going.” He stood from the sofa and moved towards the door, the uniform jacket draped carelessly over his left arm.

“Ren,” uttered Hux, standing from his own seat. “How many times do I have to remind you to put your clothes on?”

Ren let his gaze move over his own unkempt appearance and grimaced. He quickly buttoned up the shirt and put the jacket back on, closing it. Then he made for the door again.

_ “Ren,” _ Hux repeated sharply.

“What? I'm dressed.”

“The hair,” Hux pointed out.

Quickly, Ren tried to pat the locks into place but failed. It still looked dishevelled.

“For star's sake,” Hux sighed and walked over to him. He smoothed the hair out with expertise. “I can't keep doing this.”

“Is it really that bad?” asked Ren. He gave him that look he had offered him earlier - eyes lingering on Hux just a little bit longer than they normally did.

“What?” Hux blinked back at him.

“Nothing,” Ren said. “Goodnight.”

 

* * *

 

Ren came by the next evening as well, and once again the two of them went through all of Hux's personal correspondence and internal requests together. After that, it became an unspoken arrangement between them that fit them both very well. Hux got to keep control of what was happening and Ren didn't have to do the work alone. Hux had obviously always known that Ren wasn't the type of person that liked to be chained down or stuck in one place. He didn't like rules and he didn't like being told what to do. But that had never been clearer to him than now when he had to do Hux's job, which was all about rules. While he might be the one handing out most of the orders as the general, he was also an example and needed - perhaps more than anyone - to follow the rules himself.

Their meetings tended to run late and even though Hux could see that Ren was tired from his long days as him, he still made sure that he did his fair share of the work. After all, if this swap lasted, Ren needed to learn and he had to become more effective.

It was nearing a week into their swap when Ren was once again in Hux's quarters, going through messages. It was past midnight already and Hux had taken charge of the datapad as a particularly difficult request needed to be dealt with. Ren had seemed especially tired when he arrived that evening. He obviously hadn't mentioned it, but he had continuously rubbed his temples and had to rest his chin in the palm of his hand just to keep his head up. Perhaps Hux shouldn't have been surprised then that what he saw when he looked up from the datapad - when he finally finished his reply and hit  _ send _ \- was Ren having fallen asleep.

He sat leaned against the back of the sofa with his hands folded loosely in his lap and his legs spread wide. His head had lulled to the right and his chest rose and sank with each steady breath. Hux's first thought was that this was yet another thing that was very odd to experience: watching himself sleep. He didn't know he could look that peaceful. His second thought was that he didn't know what to do. He supposed he should wake the man up but he wasn't certain how Ren would react to someone doing that. It couldn't possibly be something he was used to and knowing him, he might just try to kill Hux if he tried.

“Ren,” Hux said, hoping the sound of his voice was enough to make him wake up, but there was no reaction.

“Ren,” he tried again, a little louder this time, but he didn't stir.

Of course, Ren had to be a heavy sleeper. Somehow that didn't surprise Hux, but it did make him a little-  _ nervous _ wasn't the right word, was it? That didn't quite make sense to him. Still, there was a definite apprehension when he rose from his seat and silently padded over to the sofa where Ren was sleeping soundly. He would have to touch him to wake him up, and despite it being his own body, it somehow felt very intimate to do just that.

He swallowed and carefully reached his hand out. Gently, he placed it on Ren's - his own - narrow shoulder. The hand looked so big, resting there, and he caught himself wondering if Ren's hand was large enough to wrap fully around his arm. Surely, it couldn't be.

He thought Ren would react to the touch, or at least that Hux's body would because it had, admittedly, been a while since anyone had touched him. That neither Ren nor his body reacted was a surprise he didn't see coming.

Hux grabbed the shoulder a little firmer and shook lightly. Only then did Ren give a small groan before heavy eyelids cracked open. He seemed almost delirious, squinting up at Hux, before finally coming to properly. But there was no aggression; no reflex to grab Hux or throw him across the room. Ren simply gazed up at him and Hux couldn’t help but look back, feeling as if there was some strange sort of connection there that definitely hadn’t been there before. Then Ren shifted his eyes, noticing the hand on his shoulder. Hux immediately pulled it back, cleared his throat and went back to his chair.

“Sorry,” Ren mumbled. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing a hand over his face before stifling a yawn.

A strange thing for him to say. Hux didn’t believe he had ever heard Ren utter that word before.

“You're sorry? For what? Falling asleep?” frowned Hux.

Ren’s eyes went to the floor. He was unusually quiet when he said, “For this whole mess. The swap.”

“You mean the mess you said you didn't have any control over,” Hux reminded him. He didn’t understand where this sudden apologetic behaviour came from. Even more so, he didn’t understand why he was interested in listening to it.

“I didn't, but I haven't been able to find a solution either,” he sighed. He stood and began pacing the length of the room. He was clearly agitated. “I have meditated every minute I can spare, going through everything I’ve ever been taught, but there is nothing! I don't know how to solve this!”

Hux didn’t know what to say. He was almost dumbfounded to find that Ren clearly felt guilty about the situation they found themselves in, and he was surprised to hear that he had spent so much time trying to figure it out. If he had meditated most of the time he wasn’t working, there was no wonder he was worn out.

“I’m certain you’ll figure it out,” Hux said. And then, before his always logical and never emotional brain could stop him, he added, “I trust that you will.”

Ren halted. Turning slowly, he looked at Hux and he might as well have pierced him with his eyes when he, incredulously, asked, “You…  _ trust _ me?”

He tried not to, but Hux couldn’t help himself from shifting in the chair and his fingers tightened around the armrests. He had just admitted to something he didn’t know was true until he spoke the actual words. “In this particular matter, yes, I do,” he confirmed.

There was silence from Ren for a moment before a thin, modest smile replaced the worried look on his face.

 

* * *

 

It slowly became clear to Hux that Ren's days were rather lonely. At first, it had been infuriating to be in Ren’s body, then it had been interesting and now it had become boring. At first, he had blamed the boredom on lacking Ren’s powers, which meant he couldn’t go on missions. Without his precious Force, he would quickly be either captured or killed. But there was more than that, he realised. Hux saw it and felt it all the time. Like when he went to the bridge so he could be somewhere familiar, it was evident that his presence there made everyone on edge. (With the exception of Ren himself, of course.) Hux was all too familiar with the discomfort Ren's character brought with it, and he didn't want to unnecessarily put that strain on his officers. So he never stayed long, instead skulking back to his chambers, where he would read or do some other mindless activity. Alone.

In general, everyone avoided him as best they could. No one interacted with him unless they absolutely had to. Obviously, Ren had to take most of that blame himself. He wasn't exactly the approachable kind. But Hux wondered if he really preferred it that way or if he had just become accustomed to it because that was what Snoke had demanded of him. And now that Snoke was dead, he didn't know any other way.

Really, what Ren needed was a teacher - someone who could support him and show him the way now that he was Supreme Leader. Hux could be that man if only Ren let him. He could be the advisor and the negotiator, in addition to the ruthless general.

 

* * *

 

Ten days into their swap with no solution in sight, Hux decided he would try out Ren’s lightsaber for the first time. He had carried it around with him on the belt all this time. On three occasions, he had sat in Ren's quarters and studied it, but he hadn’t had any great desire to use it. It had always looked unstable to him. But now he was back in the training facilities, standing in front of a training droid with the lightsaber clasped securely in both hands.

He ignited it and it sputtered slightly before it sizzled to life. Glowing red, it hummed unrhythmically. Tentatively, Hux gave it a trying swing downward. It was easy to move and he could understand why Ren favoured it as a weapon. The light weight of it would allow someone of his brute strength to go on almost indefinitely in close combat. That didn’t mean it didn’t take skill though. Hux had seen up close the damage lightsabers could do. Ren should count himself lucky to be alive.

He swung the lightsaber in the air a few times, getting the feel of it before he planted himself firmly in front of the training droid. He braced for the impact as he slashed diagonally downwards from its left shoulder, but it slid surprisingly easy through the steel and mechanics, almost cutting the thing in half. It was an undeniable rush and he couldn’t keep himself from grinning. He took another swing, this time aiming at the droid’s head, and chopping it clean off. The metal head rolled across the floor until it came to a halt in front of a pair of uniformed legs by the entrance to the room.

“I see you’re teaching yourself how to use my lightsaber,” said Ren, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Do you like it?”

Hux extinguished the lightsaber and hooked it back onto the belt. “What are you doing here? You should be on the bridge.”

Ren shrugged, bent down and picked up the poor droid’s severed head and looked at it. “I needed a break.”

“You can’t just leave them in the middle of your shift,” Hux pointed out, a little annoyed, but not as annoyed as he would have been ten days ago.

“I think you’ll be surprised to find that they can survive an hour without you, Hux.”

_ Hux. _ Ren never usually called him by his name. It was always  _ general. _ It was strangely personal.

“Do you want to spar?” he asked then.

“No,” Hux replied quickly.

“Oh, come on,” Ren enticed him. And as he stepped towards him, he tossed the droid’s head up into the air and caught it again. “You’re in my body now. It should hold enough muscle memory for you to be able to put up a good fight. You might even win.”

“What’s the point?”

Hux watched Ren put the droid’s head down next to its mutilated body. “I… miss it,” he admitted, eyes flickering up to meet Hux’s. “You miss the things you used to do too. I know you do. You revel whenever you get your hands on your datapad in the evenings.” His smile turned sly.

Knitting his eyebrows, Hux protested, “I don’t revel.”

Except he did, and Ren probably didn’t even need to read his thoughts to know. They had shared enough late evenings lately for it to be obvious that he missed his job.

Ren removed his uniform jacket, draped it over a bench and rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, exposing the smooth, milky white skin of Hux’s arms. Then he made his way over to a wall-hung stand that held a number of different length staffs made from lightweight metal. He picked out two about the length of a lightsaber and threw one of them at Hux, who easily caught it.

“Don’t damage my body,” Hux warned him, tightening his hands around the pole. It was about the same weight as Ren’s lightsaber.

“Shouldn’t you tell yourself that?” replied Ren, cocking an eyebrow cheekily at him. He was being disgustingly confident and strangely playful. He must have really missed training if he was acting like this.

Hux had never been trained in sword fighting, but he did have some experience in hand-to-hand combat from his Academy days. Not that he had utilized it much. Ren was undoubtedly more skilled in this area, but they were in each other’s bodies, so perhaps Hux did have a chance. Taking a wide stance, he raised the staff in a defensive pose. Ren didn’t hesitate. He lunged at him, but Hux blocked him easily - reflexively, even. It seemed Ren’s body did indeed hold a lot of muscle memory.

He played it safe, to begin with, focusing on defence and letting Ren do most of the attacking. He was very clever, trying to trick him by flanking or pretending to attack high but suddenly going low instead. Once again, Hux was caught up in how utterly  _ bizarre _ it was to see his body do something it never usually did. He was agile, so he wasn’t really surprised that Ren moved quickly, but his body was not used to the constant sudden and aggressive twists and turns. Ren was definitely going to feel that tomorrow.

While distracted by his own thoughts, Ren saw an opportunity to attack and he smacked his staff into the side of Hux’s left knee. He didn’t hold back either and pain shot through Hux's entire leg. He bit back a growl and Ren grinned. Hux scowled at him. Having his own face mocking him like that was infuriating, so he lashed out at Ren full force, not giving a second thought to the fact that his body might take damage. As long as it wasn’t permanent, it didn't matter, because he wasn’t the one who would suffer the consequences of it.

Ren tried to dodge, but he wasn’t able to go low enough, and Hux caught him hard in the right shoulder. He winced and hissed, jumping back to get away, but Hux followed him. He swung at him again but this time Ren blocked him. Hux kept pushing, knowing that Ren’s body’s strength was far superior. He inched closer to him, pressing him back towards the wall. If he could trap him, he would win.

But then Ren unexpectedly hooked a foot around his ankle and he somehow managed to kick his leg out underneath him. Hux lost his balance, and Ren, having supported himself by leaning all his weight on him, followed. They both tumbled to the floor in a heap of uncoordinated legs and arms.

When Hux managed to gather himself again, he was on the floor with Ren on top of him, a mere inch away from his face. Hux’s mouth suddenly went very dry as green eyes stared back at him unblinkingly.

An abrupt dizzy spell hit him then. His vision blackened and when he came back to himself a few seconds later, he wasn’t looking up into green eyes anymore. He was looking down into a pair of warm hazel ones: Ren’s eyes. And he was pressed against a large, warm and firm body: Ren’s body. 

“Hux?” whispered Ren. His eyes were large and he looked as confused as Hux was feeling.

“Yes?” Hux replied, barely daring to breathe.

“Are we ourselves again?”

Taking a quick look at the slender, bony hands that were placed on Ren’s shoulders, he could confirm. He could feel it as well. He knew his own body and this was his. There was also a throbbing in the right shoulder from when he had hit it just minutes before, in case he needed more evidence. So much for not suffering the consequences of that blow.

“So, were you thinking about staying there or do you want to get off me?” Ren said then, and that damned cheeky smile was back.

Hux wasn’t the type of person to blush. That was an unnecessary human reaction he had rid himself of long ago, along with a number of others. And yet, when Ren spoke those words - jokingly or not - there was most definitely a warmth creeping up his face. He quickly scrambled off him and got to his feet, but he barely had time to rise to his full length before another dizzy spell hit him and things went black again. When his vision cleared, he was once again back on the floor.

This time he realised it straight away. He was back in Ren’s body, looking up at himself. Ren, clearly woozy from what had happened, stood bent over with his hands on his thighs. He shook his head and when he, too, understood that they had once again swapped, he let out a roar louder than Hux knew his body was capable of.

“NO!” he yelled. Then he picked up one of the training staffs they had used and hurled it across the room. It hit what was supposed to be shatterproof glass and cracked it.

Hux was immediately on his feet. “Ren!”

But Ren didn’t listen. He didn’t even seem to acknowledge Hux’s presence. Instead, the other training staff was picked up, but this time Ren didn’t use his hand. It hovered in the air in front of him for a few seconds before it was thrown with astounding velocity. It hit the same spot as the previous one with a force so impossible the shatterproof glass did exactly what it wasn’t supposed to do: it split into hundreds of pieces.

“Ren, stop it!” Hux commanded him. He grabbed him by his wrists, knowing he was stronger than him. But Ren clearly wasn’t above using the Force on him at this point and easily broke free, using his powers to push Hux away from him. It wasn’t violent enough for him to get hurt, but powerful enough for him to be knocked back several feet, falling to the floor.

It was at that moment four stormtroopers came barging in. They had no doubt been alarmed by all the noise coming from the room. When they saw their Supreme Leader on his ass on the floor and their general in what was clearly a fit of rage, their confusion was evident even through their helmet-covered faces. All four stopped dead in their tracks, looking from Hux to Ren to Hux and then back at Ren again.

“General,” Hux spoke calmly, getting to his feet once more. He gestured towards the stormtroopers.

Ren was panting like some wild beast, but his eyes were at least focused on Hux now. Good. If he used his powers in front of the stormtroopers, they would have a whole new problem on their hands.

They stood facing each other for a good few minutes before Ren eventually calmed down. Although  _ calmed down _ was an overstatement. But he stopped raging enough to control himself and the situation. He tore his eyes away from Hux and made for the door in long, angry strides, hands opening and closing at his sides as he went. The stormtroopers wisely jumped out of his way so he could exit the room.

There was a pressing silence once Ren had left and it took a moment before Hux realised he was the cause of it. The stormtroopers stood awkwardly by the entrance, watching him hesitantly and presumably waiting for an order. It must have been a shock to them to see who they thought was their general so out of control. Hux  _ never _ acted that way. Oh, he could get angry, but his anger wasn't hot and unpredictable like Ren's. His was cold and calculated.

Thankfully, the situation could be rectified. Hux was in Ren's body, after all. He was the Supreme Leader. He turned slowly towards the stormtroopers, put on the most menacing face he knew Ren had and dropped his voice low. “You are not to tell anybody about what you saw here, or you will suffer the consequences,” he warned them.

Had he been the real Ren, he would likely have thrown them out of the room or wiped their memory, but the threat would have to do. Knowing Ren's reputation, it should be sufficient.

All four stormtroopers nodded before they left the room at a run.

Hux grabbed the uniform jacket Ren had left behind and exited the training facilities. First, he needed to make sure the room got scheduled for repair. Then, when Ren had calmed down, they were going to have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, they're going to do more than just talk in the next chapter huehuehue ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Hux didn't normally give people space. His time was too valuable to wait for someone to come to him. But in this particular case, he decided to do just that. He wasn't afraid of Ren. Quite the opposite, in fact. But he remembered the guilt Ren had shown earlier, and Hux was willing to bet his blaster that his reaction in the training facilities was because he felt responsible that their swap back hadn't lasted.

Strange, Hux thought, how he suddenly seemed to care about Ren's sensitivities.

It took two days before Ren came. It was evening - close to midnight - even later than he usually showed up for their meetings. He looked put together, not a hair out of place or a crease in sight on his uniform. It was almost perfect, except that the part in his hair still wasn’t quite right. He could probably fool anyone but Hux himself.

Hux let him into the quarters he had now occupied for almost two weeks. He was getting used to them. Even though nothing in here belonged to him, it was starting to feel familiar. He wondered if Ren had gotten used to his.

Ren walked idly around the room, looking at nothing in particular, and Hux observed him from the lounge chair that he had taken some sort of ownership over. They didn’t say anything for a good, long while, but Hux could feel that there was a definite tension between them. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. Or perhaps he could, but he wouldn’t. Not yet. He didn’t want to be the first one to point it out.

“I think I know,” Ren spoke and Hux almost startled at the sudden break of silence.

“You know what?” he asked. For some reason, the potential answer made him nervous.

Ren stopped pacing. His eyes found Hux’s from a few feet away and he said, “I think you know it too. At least, I think you have an idea. Something changed when we swapped, and it’s not just the obvious.”

Hux’s gaze shifted from Ren to the black wall behind him and back again. He cleared his throat. “I have to admit, something has changed between us.”

Nodding, Ren went on: “There is a new understanding. I hesitate to call it a bond, considering-”

“You’re not implying that whatever this is, is similar to what you had with the scavenger girl?” Hux scoffed. The mere suggestion of such a thing was offensive to him.

“No,” Ren protested quickly. “What I had with her was completely different. Snoke forced it on us.”

“I don’t remember volunteering for this either.”

“Of course not, but just listen!” Ren told him, louder now. Impatient.

Hux exhaled deeply, pressed his lips together, then gestured for Ren to go on.

“I think the Force wanted this to happen. I think it brought us together like this because it wants us to understand each other. I think it knows that we are stronger when we work together. I think,” - he paused and closed the distance between them, standing close to where Hux was sitting - “the Force is right.”

Ren put his hand on the armrest of the lounge chair, next to Hux’s - so close Hux could feel the energy radiating from it.

“Ren, I-”

“Kylo,” Ren insisted.

Swallowing, Hux blinked rapidly. He didn’t know what to say. For once in his life, he was close to speechless. But Ren - Kylo - wasn’t wrong. The Force wasn’t wrong. The two of them _were_ stronger together. They could do so much if they only put their differences aside.

Soft fingers grazed his hand and Hux almost gasped at the small touch. The tiny hairs on his hand immediately stood to attention.

“Kylo,” he finally said, the name escaping his mouth as a ghosted whisper.

Kylo stepped in front of him, finding his place between Hux’s legs. With one hand on each armrest, he leaned in close, the warmth of his breath brushing lightly against Hux’s skin. He studied Hux for a short moment before his mouth met his in a trying kiss.

It was simple - modest - only lips pressed against lips. It was also so much because this was not something Hux had ever thought would happen. It wasn’t something he had dreamed about. It wasn't even something he thought he would ever want. And yet, here he was, kissing the very man he had loathed for so many years and feeling a heat take hold that he had scarcely felt before.

It wasn’t enough. Hux pushed his chin forward, solidifying the kiss, and Ren accepted by parting his lips and inviting him in. Testingly, Hux let his tongue run along the bottom row of his teeth before finding his tongue to play with.

Ren was a surprisingly versatile and attentive kisser. One minute, he would kiss Hux deeply and passionately; the next he would pull back to nip at his lower lip and lick at the cupid’s bow, making Hux shudder in pleasure.

It wasn’t long before Ren made the move to climb into the chair with Hux so they could both get more of what they were clearly craving. Without parting lips, Ren straddled him and sank into his lap. His hands moved to the back of Hux’s neck, fingers sliding into the long, dark hair from behind and rasping pleasantly at his scalp with his nails. Hux, in turn, pulled Ren in by the small of his back, pressing their chests together.

Ren moved his kisses from Hux's mouth to his jaw line, to his neck and eventually his ear. He took a good lick up the shell of it and then bit down gently on the lobe. It was funny; his ears had never been very sensitive, but when Ren was nibbling at his lobe now, he was practically coming undone.

That was when it hit him: that they were making out in each other's bodies. Technically, Hux was kissing himself. The thought made his eyes shoot open and he pushed Ren away.

“Stop,” he told him, breath heavy.

Ren looked at him with brows slightly elevated in question. His face was flushed like Hux's would get in passionate moments. “What's wrong?” he asked. His hands were still behind Hux's head and he sat leaned back in his lap.

“This is-” Hux began, but failed to find the right words. He tried again: “We're in each other's bodies.”

“And?” Ren smirked at him.

Hux frowned back. “You don't think that's weird?”

“It's just your body,” Ren told him with a one-shouldered shrug. “I’m thinking that none of us knows our bodies better than us. For instance, I know that I like this.”

Ren leaned in on him and Hux let him. He gave his ear another lick followed by a bite, and Hux couldn't keep himself from sighing.

Pulling back again, Ren said in a sultry voice: “See?”

Hux nodded slowly. It _was_ good. It was really good. And Ren had a point. When would any of them ever have the opportunity to have a lover that knew them better than themselves? It would be a travesty, really, not to capitalize on it.

“What do you like?” Ren asked then, head cocked playfully to the side. “Show me.“

Wetting his lips, Hux unbuckled Ren's belt, got him out of the jacket and tossed both on the sofa. He pulled Ren's shirt out of the waistline of his jodhpurs and let one hand slip under the fabric. Slowly, he let his fingernails scratch down the spine, and Ren arched his back in response - a reaction Hux recognised because he had done it so many times himself. As he continued, Ren pushed down into his lap, eliciting a moan from Hux.

It was a reflex more than anything to move both hands onto Ren's ass and draw him to him. He had already been hard - Ren's body so much more easily aroused than his own - when Ren had ground against him, making his cock jerk in want.

“Do it again,” he breathed against Ren's neck, finding the pulse point there and licking it.

“Yes, I do like that,” Ren replied cheekily as he pressed down into Hux's lap once more and started shifting his hips back and forth.

“Kriff,” Hux let out, momentarily lost to this new intense sensation. Then he moved his hands to the front of Ren's shirt and quickly unbuttoned it. His nipples had always been one of the most sensitive spots on his body and he wanted Ren to experience that treat.

Gently at first, he stroked his thumb over the right one, paying attention to Ren's face as he did. He sucked in a sharp breath at the touch. A little harder then, he tweaked the left one and Ren outright whimpered. Hux grinned before going for them with his mouth. He licked and nibbled and sucked at them, alternating between them and using his fingers on the one that wasn't getting attention from his mouth. Ren's breath grew increasingly more shallow as he worked on him, but he still managed to continue his rocking back and forth in Hux's lap. At this point, Ren's full erection was a fact too, and every time Hux felt it brush against his, he huffed against the warm skin of Ren's pecs.

“All these clothes you're wearing have to be uncomfortable,” Ren pointed out after a while, moving his hand to Hux's belt and making quick work of it.

Hux hummed in agreement. The straining in his trousers, especially, was getting uncomfortable. Ren climbed off him and out of the chair, pulling at Hux to follow. Standing, they undressed each other impatiently, tossing their items of clothes carelessly to the floor.

Ren, the bastard, grinned when they were both finally naked, taking in the sight of his own body.

“Really?” said Hux, arching an eyebrow at him.

“What? I’m not ashamed of my body. Don’t you like it?” he teased, running a hand down Hux’s toned stomach, but stopping where the trail of dark hair started.

“Well, I can't deny you’re in good physical shape,” Hux replied, not wanting to rub his ego too much.

Ren snorted. “Is that it? You must have been a little curious.” His hand continued downward, finding Hux’s erected cock and palming it.

Letting out a strained huff, Hux bucked into Ren’s hand. Of course, he had been curious. Of course, he had noticed that Ren had a large cock. But he hadn’t done anything about it. Even those two mornings he had woken up with tented pyjamas trousers, he had refused to go as far as taking care of it. Instead, he had forced it away with an ice cold shower and an iron will.

“I was curious,” Ren went on, giving Hux a lazy but tight stroke.

“Did you touch me?” Hux breathed. The thought of Ren lying in _his_ bed and touching _his_ body would have felt like a violation two weeks ago, but now it was only arousing. And to think he had been worried about what Ren thought of his body.

“Yes.” He continued fisting Hux’s cock with an experienced hand. “And it was good.”

“You're shameless,” Hux told him. Then he grabbed him by the waist and pressed a sloppy kiss to his mouth before dragging him with him back into the chair, where Ren once again took his place in his lap.

Their cocks rubbed against each other and they both sighed in unison. Hux cupped Ren's asscheek with one hand and his cock with the other. He pulled the foreskin back, finding precome pearling at the head. He circled it with his thumb, spreading the wetness around and pressing into the slit. Ren moaned loudly, moving one hand to the nape of Hux's neck and the other to his cock again.

Together, they pumped the other the way they knew they enjoyed it the most. Hux made long but quick strokes, twisting his hand at the base. Ren moved slower, clearly building up the pace, but he had a firm hand and he squeezed the head so deliciously it made Hux gasp every time.

It was overwhelming to experience pleasure in someone else's body. It was like it was happening for the very first time. Every touch and every kiss was so different, so intoxicating and so intense, and Hux knew he wouldn't last long. He could already feel the signs of an orgasm - a shallow wave of pleasure deep inside him that was slowly building.

“Open your eyes,” Ren panted more than he spoke.

Hux wasn't aware that he had closed his eyes and thrown his head back while still continuing to stroke Ren and being jerked off himself. They fluttered open to find Ren looking down at him with copper hair undone, heavy-lidded eyes and parted wet lips. His chest was flushed pink and his nipples were budding.

“Come here,” Ren said and Hux complied, arching away from the back of the chair to meet him in a messy kiss.

“I’m close,” Hux groaned. He pushed at the small of Ren’s back, bringing him closer. Then he found his nipples again and sucked hard at one of them.

“Ah!” Ren cried out.

They both sped up their pace, hands racing over their cocks to bring the most pleasure to the other. A spidery tingling crawled down Hux's spine and goosebumps started to form on his damp skin. Tiny drops of sweat were pearling at his temples and what felt like electric currents were growing ever stronger inside him. He was squirming in the chair and he had to hold onto Ren to avoid moving so much that he would fall off his lap.  

Ren made one final move of his hand and Hux's orgasm overtook him. He let out a series of moans and grunts as he came and spilt all over Ren's hand and his own thigh. It was so intense and he was so overcome by the pleasure this body was giving him, that his mind went completely blank and his limbs numb.

When he came back out of what could only be described as a trance, his forehead was resting heavily against Ren's warm chest. Somehow, his hand was still wrapped around Ren's cock and stroking it lazily. Hux managed to straighten himself up and sped up on him again. By the sharp, shallow moans he made in return, Hux knew he was close.

Ren could come like this and Hux was certain that would feel good for him, but he knew something that would feel even better. He slid his other hand between Ren's thighs, past his testicles and found the soft, sensitive spot behind them. He pressed two fingers against it and rubbed it back and forth. Ren's reaction was instantaneous: he gasped, dug his fingers deep into Hux's shoulder blades, and only seconds later his cocked jerked as he came too.

Hux stroked him through it, then waited for him to come back down from his high. Ren collapsed on him after, all warm and breathless with arms hanging limply around his neck.

“That was-” he tried after a moment, but couldn't seem to finish.

“-new,” Hux helped him, squeezing his thigh.

Ren chuckled hoarsely. “Yes.” Then: “Shower?”

Hux trailed after him into the fresher, where they cleaned off together. The shower wasn't as intimate as their previous coupling had been, but it wasn't awkward either. And when Ren got in his own bed instead of going back to Hux's quarters, Hux didn't protest.

 

* * *

 

Hux could swear he had gone to sleep on the right side of the bed, with a few feet of space between himself and Ren. Yet, when he woke up early the next morning, he was most definitely on the left side. There was also a large, warm body pressed against him from behind and a muscular arm draped dully over his hip.

Please, let it be true, he begged silently. Carefully, he turned around to look at the man behind him and he heaved a relieved sigh to see that it was Ren in Ren's body. They had swapped back - hopefully for good this time.

Hux took a moment to take in the sight of the naked man next to him in bed and it was like seeing him in a new and brighter light. All his features stood out to Hux in a different way: the luscious dark hair and serious face, the prominent nose and pouty lips, and the strong, broad shoulders. They had spent so many years together as co-commanders, most of them at each other's throats. Who would have thought they would end up here? Certainly not him.

“R-” Hux began, but then he remembered how he had been asked to use Ren’s first name the night before. “Kylo,” he said.

It was strange. He would have to get used to that.

Kylo stirred at the sound of his voice, slowly coming out of his sleepy state. His eyes fluttered open to look at Hux drowsily. It seemed to take him a moment to realise what he was actually seeing - that he was looking at Hux as Hux.

“Are we-?” he asked. He reached a hand out for Hux and felt his hair as if checking he was actually real.

“Yes,” Hux replied.

“Thank the kriffing stars,” he sighed. “It better last this time.”

Hux narrowed his eyes at him. “Didn't like my body much, did you?”

A slanted smile appeared on Kylo's face, revealing how easily he saw through Hux's feigned offence. He took some time to let his eyes travel over Hux's body top to bottom. “I thought I made it clear last night that I very much did. But I prefer you in it.”

Yes, he had said that, but Hux enjoyed hearing him repeat it.

Kylo inched closer, demanding a kiss. “Take the day off,” he said when he parted from Hux again.

“I can't do that. I have a lot of work to do. You should know that after having been me,” Hux reminded him. Although they had been able to catch up on most of his work during their evening meetings, Hux was certain there was still plenty that needed to be sorted out.

“What if the Supreme Leader orders you to?”

Hux raised his eyebrows at him. “You're ordering me to take the day off so you can, what, fuck me?”

Kylo smirked. “Actually, I was thinking you could fuck me.”

Hux rolled his eyes, but he couldn't keep his cock from twitching in interest. He wouldn't mind either fucking nor being fucked by Kylo. “Is this what it's going to be like now?”

Kylo grabbed him by the hips and pulled him to him, pressing Hux's naked body against his own, and oh, did he feel different from last night. While it had definitely been interesting to explore each other in the other's body, Hux much preferred this. He had never gotten used to the share size of Kylo's body, so he was happy to be back in his own. And he had always enjoyed how larger men could swallow him up and pin him down with their bodies, which Kylo could certainly provide.

“I thought you would relish at the thought of fucking me,” Kylo muttered into the side of his neck in between kisses there.

“Fucking you over, perhaps,” Hux retorted. Then he shuddered as Kylo's fingers slid down his spine, just like he had shown him the night before.

Chuckling, Kylo said, “Whatever you want, general.”

“That's a very dangerous thing to say to me,” Hux warned him. He moved his head so he could reach Kylo's ear and gave the lobe a teasing bite, making him whimper in response.

“I know, but I’ve always had a weak spot for you,” he admitted.

Hux froze at that. Pushing away from Kylo, he looked at him with large eyes. Confused, he asked, “You… have?”

Kylo looked back at him unblinkingly. He was clearly being serious. “I couldn’t show it. Snoke would never allow it.”

There was silence as Kylo let a finger drag up Hux's side, following its movement with his gaze.

“Do you think it would have been different between us without Snoke?” Hux asked then. They couldn't change the past, but he couldn't help but wonder either. Looking back now, it seemed clear that Snoke had pitted them against each other to keep them both under control.

“It _is_ different without Snoke,” Kylo replied confidently. He moved his head down to Hux's chest, took one of his nipples in his mouth and sucked at it.

Hux groaned. “Yes, it will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are, as always, greatly appreciated <3

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me [on tumblr!](http://heresetrash.tumblr.com/)


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